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Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a seventh generation video game console developed by Microsoft. Released on November 22, 2005, it is the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox family. The Xbox 360 competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information announced later that month at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo. The Xbox 360's successor, the Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013. On April 20, 2016, Microsoft announced that it would end the production of Xbox 360 hardware, although the company would still continue to support the platform. New Features The Xbox 360 also included a number of new features and add ons such as- the ability to stream music, television and films though Xbox Music, Xbox Video and third-party content services. New wireless controllers with a number of designs, expanded hard drives and the Kinect sensor. The release of these additional services and peripherals helped the Xbox brand grow from gaming-only to encompassing all multimedia, turning it into a hub for living-room computing entertainment. The Xbox 360 also brings back Xbox Live with a number of improvements and new features. Release The Xbox 360 launched world wide in November 2005, it was in short supply at one point in many regions, including North America and Europe. The earliest versions of the console suffered from a high failure rate, indicated by the so-called "Red Ring of Death ", necessitating an extension of the consoles warranty period. It has been found that around 54% of all Xbox 360s suffered from the Red Ring of Death. Throughout the Xbox 360's life, Microsoft released two redesigned models of the console- Xbox 360 S (2010) and Xbox 360 E (2013). As of June 2014, 84 million Xbox 360 units had been sold world wide. In 2009 the Xbox 360 became the sixth best selling video game console in history, despite being outsold by the Nintnedo Wii and PlayStation 3. Retail configurations Launch When the Xbox 360 was first released in 2005, the console was made available in two different bundles. Similar to how the Xbox One was available with and without a Kinect. While the bundles were never officially given a name they were commonly known as the Xbox 360 Pro or Premium and the Xbox 360 Core. These bundles often included a variation of the Media Remote. Pro/Premium The Pro/Premium was the higher end bundle, costing around $100 US more than the Core bundle and included a 60GB external hardrive. Several years after the launch of the Pro, a 60 GB version of the console was released on August 1, 2008. A year later the model was discontinued completley. Core The Core model, being the cheaper out of the two launch varinats was originally released in all regions other than Japan. However the variant was eventually released in Japan in 2006, a year after the consoles original release. The Core model also shipped with a wired variant of the Xbox 360 controller rather than the wireless which was shipped with all other models. Elite In 2007, around two years after the launch of the original Xbox 360 units, a new configuration, the Xbox 360 Elite was released. The Xbox 360 Elite was the more upper classed model and included a 120 GB external hardrive, already connected to the console. Unlike past Xbox 360 consoles, the Elite used a matte black design rather than the usual white/siliver. The price of the Xbox 360 Elite was significanly marked down in 2009 to get rid of stock to make room for newer models. Arcade Some months later in 2007, after the release of the Xbox 360 Elite, the Xbox 360 Arcade was released. The Xbox 360 Arcade acted as a successor to the Xbox 360 Core bundle that was released at the launch of the console. The Arcade only had an internal storage of 256MB, but external hardrives could be purchased to expand the consoles storage. The Xbox Live Arcade Compilation Disc was also included with all Xbox Arcade models. Slim Also known as the Xbox 360 S ''was a complete hardware revision of the Xbox 360 that was released in 2010. This newer model completley replaced other models available prior to its release, those being the Elite and Arcade.The S was much smaller and compared to past models and a lot quieter. The Xbox 360 S also included a port dedicated for use with the Kinect which was released several months after the launch of the Slim model. '''E' The final model in the Xbox 360 family was the Xbox 360 E. It was announced and released in 2013, the same year that the Xbox One was released. The E model is once again slimmer than past models and takes most of its designs from the first Xbox One model. Gallery Xbox360Prototypes.jpg|Xbox 360 Prototype consoles with the middle and one to the left of the middle being final designs. Xbox-360-concepts.png|Various concepts of the Xbox 360's design. Xbox-360-boxes.jpg|A number of Xbox 360's for sale not long after the consoles initial release. Halo3xbox.jpg|Special Edition Halo 3 Xbox 360s on sale. Xboxelitepackage.jpg|Xbox 360 Elite packaging. Xboxarcadesku.jpg|Xbox 360 Arcade packaging. Xbox360.png|An Xbox 360 with a Media remote. See also * Xbox * Xbox One * Kinect Sensor External links * Xbox 360 on Wikipedia Category:Backward compatible video game consoles Category:Xbox 360 Category:Consoles Category:Seventh-generation video game consoles Category:Discontinued